When a criminal case is not solved
within a reasonable length of time the leads diminish, the trail
becomes cold, evidence becomes unobtainable, and the crime becomes
increasingly more difficult to solve. For these reasons most sheriff's
departments' files contain many unsolved cases. When this occurs, a
method is needed that will re-awaken public interest in the case and
also call upon citizens for help in providing the needed information
that could

lead to the solution of the
crime.

Citizens may witness all or part of a crime without being aware of what
they have seen. Consequently, they may unknowingly possess key
information that could aid the Sheriff's Department in solving
the crime. In some instances, citizens do not contact Sheriff's
Department with information out of fear that if they reveal their
identity they will expose themselves or their families to acts of
retaliation by the criminal. In most instances these citizens will not
come forward with information unless they can be assured that they will
be provided with complete anonymity by the Sheriff Department .
Finally, they are uncertain who they should contact in the Sheriff 's
Department and what procedures to follow in providing their
information.

The Crime Stoppers program provides a method of overcoming these
obstacles by involving citizens in solving felony crimes. Through the
Crime Stoppers program, citizens who have knowledge of a specific crime
are encouraged to come forward and give the Sheriff's Department
this information. The program allows any citizen providing information
to remain COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS if they so desire. In this way
the citizen is assured that his/her identity will be protected. Crime
Stopper programs need the support of various representatives of the
news media such as television, newspaper, and radio to assure that the
message reaches the public.

Any information that the citizens of Pawnee County are aware of
involving crimes committed in Pawnee County